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UFC 139 Salaries: Somehow, Cung Le Out-Earns Everybody

(Dear fist-posing douchebag: You were not supposed to be part of this picture.)

The UFC paid out nearly $2 million in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters who competed at UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson, according to figures released yesterday by the California State Athletic Commission.

Though we don’t know what kind of undisclosed “locker room bonuses” were thrown around after the fights, Cung Le was officially the biggest earner of the night, making over $400,000 for his second-round TKO loss to Wanderlei Silva. Seriously. On paper, that’s almost twice what Shogun took home. Then again, Le’s a local hero in San Jose (which made him particularly valuable for this event) with a movie career to attend to (which puts his time at a premium these days). For the record, Dana White isn’t sure if he’ll be back.

The full list of disclosed UFC 139 payouts is below…

Dan Henderson: $320,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus; no win bonus)
def. Mauricio Rua: $235,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

(Dear fist-posing douchebag: You were not supposed to be part of this picture.)

The full list of disclosed UFC 139 payouts is below…

Dan Henderson: $320,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus; no win bonus)
def. Mauricio Rua: $235,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Wanderlei Silva: $270,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus; no win bonus)
def. Cung Le: $420,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Urijah Faber: $134,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus, $70,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Brian Bowles: $19,000

Martin Kampmann: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus)
def. Rick Story: $19,000

Stephan Bonnar: $68,000 (includes $34,000 win bonus)
def. Kyle Kingsbury: $10,000

Ryan Bader: $48,000 (includes $24,00 win bonus)
def. Jason Brilz: $13,000

Michael McDonald: $84,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus, $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
Alex Soto: $6,000

Chris Weidman: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Tom Lawlor: $12,000

Gleison Tibau: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Rafael Dos Anjos: $16,000

Miguel Torres: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
def. Nick Pace: $4,000

Seth Baczynski: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Matt Brown: $12,000

Danny Castillo: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Shamar Bailey: $8,000

Notes

— When Dan Henderson left the UFC in late 2009, he was making $100,000 to show and $150,000 to win. At his new home in Strikeforce, Henderson initially earned a $250,000 flat fee per fight, but for his final appearance against Fedor Emelianenko, that figure skyrocketed to $800,000. Now that he’s back under a Zuffa contract, his salary has fallen back to earth. But again, who knows what the UFC is paying him under the table. Hopefully it’s a lot, because my God does he deserve it.

— Meanwhile, Cung Le’s $350,000 flat rate in the UFC is a major upgrade for him, considering his salaries were actually decreasing in Strikeforce. Le made $200k for beating up Frank Shamrock in March 2008, $150k for his first fight against Scott Smith in 2009, and $100k for the rematch in 2010.

UFC 139 Results: Shogun Wants “Revenge” in a Rematch vs. Dan Henderson

The UFC 139 main-event fight between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson resulted in what’s being referred to by many as one of the greatest fights in the history of mixed martial arts. This dream matchup featuring the two Pride legends…

Shogun Rua ended up losing a very tight decision to Henderson as all three judges scored the bout 48-47, giving the first three rounds to Henderson and the final two to Rua.

A disgruntled Rua spoke out about the controversial decision following the event.

“It certainly was a great fight. I don’t know how the judges made the scoring of the last round, but it could or should have been 10-8 for me,” he told UOL Esporte. “But it does not take anything away from Dan Henderson. He is a legend and he is of those guys who created a legacy, but I want revenge. I think this would be another great battle and the public wants to see it…Even Dana White admitted he would have scored it a draw.”

(credit to MMA Mania for the translation)

The former UFC champion has been jobbed by the officials before as most believe he should have won his first fight with Lyoto Machida. He would later go on to crush Machida in a rematch, handing “The Dragon” the first loss of his career by way of knockout.

It’s unlikely that the UFC will immediately book a rematch like they did for Shogun-Machida, but a second Shogun-Henderson fight is certainly one that fans would love to see at some point.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 139 Results: What’s Next for Dan Henderson?

Dan Henderson took the spoils, as he routed Mauricio Rua via unanimous decision in an epic battle at UFC 139. Henderson’s victorious return to the Octagon in a five-round slugfest has most definitely set the cat amongst the pigeons vis-à-v…

Dan Henderson took the spoils, as he routed Mauricio Rua via unanimous decision in an epic battle at UFC 139.

Henderson’s victorious return to the Octagon in a five-round slugfest has most definitely set the cat amongst the pigeons vis-à-vis the light heavyweight division and maybe even the middleweight division

A lot was learned about the 41-year-old Henderson at UFC 139—for one, there is still a fairly good amount of gas in his tank.

His age is nothing more than a number.

Finally, “Hendo” can still hold court with the upper-echelon light heavyweights of the division.

With that in mind, what is next for the former Strikeforce standout?

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UFC 139 Results: 5 Things Dan Henderson Needs To Improve on

Dan Henderson did everything he needed to to get the win at UFC 139. He also did a few things that might have cost him the victory.Against a fighter like Shogun Rua, Henderson showed a few flaws that might be capitalized on if they figh…

Dan Henderson did everything he needed to to get the win at UFC 139. He also did a few things that might have cost him the victory.

Against a fighter like Shogun Rua, Henderson showed a few flaws that might be capitalized on if they fight again or if Henderson gets a shot against Jon Jones or Anderson Silva.

Henderson has always been an elite fighter, but he has never held onto UFC gold. He has won titles in PRIDE and Strikeforce, but the most recognized title will always elude him unless he is able to expand his repertoire.

Henderson may be 41, but he is still one of the most dominant fighters in MMA today and it wouldn’t be surprising if he could learn a few new tricks or iron out some quirks.

Here are the five things Henderson needs to work on if he wants to win a title.

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UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson vs Shogun Rua Really Was One of The Best Ever

Henderson and Rua put on one of the best fights in the history of MMA.At least that is how Dana White put it.Normally the UFC promoter is known to have bouts of hyperbole in which he tries to make the fight or event grander then it was. UFC 139 was no…

Henderson and Rua put on one of the best fights in the history of MMA.

At least that is how Dana White put it.

Normally the UFC promoter is known to have bouts of hyperbole in which he tries to make the fight or event grander then it was. UFC 139 was not one of these times. When White said that it was one of his top three fights of all time, he might not have had his promoter persona on.

He might have just been what anyone else was who witnessed that fight Saturday night.

An excited fan.

It started as a one-sided beatdown by Henderson, but quickly changed as Rua was able to knock Henderson down. When Henderson finally was on top of Rua and seemingly in control, the Brazilian warrior was able to get his leg and almost submit him.

Between a bunch of swung leather and submission attempts, the fight had it all. It was so impressive that by the time the fourth and fifth rounds came and both fighters were exhausted, the crowd was willing to forgive any absences in the action.

It was a fight that stood out on a card that had Martin Kampmann-Rick Story, Urijah Faber-Brian Bowles and Wanderlei Silva-Cung Le. Each of these fights delivered with the next one being better than the last.

After the Silva-Le fight it would be hard to imagine a better fight than that. The main event just couldn’t be as great; it almost never happens.

But miracles happen. MMA fans got a rare treat and were able to see the most exciting type of fight in all of sports combat: two brilliant fighters pushing a technically sound, fast-paced, aggressive fight. They took it to the wall, the cage floor and the center of the Octagon. No part of the battlefield went unused.

And even though the fight might have been stopped a few different times, it wasn’t, and fans got to see Rua make a comeback and end up taking the fight to Henderson.

By the late rounds, Rua was getting in more offense. It was too little too late to get the decision win, but it was awe-inspiring.

When the final bell rang, there was only one way the match could have been spoiled. It had already been saved from incompetent refereeing and now all it needed was decent judges.

And when the scores were read 48-47 in favor of Henderson, fans got to see the perfect fight, with perfect refereeing and perfect judging.

It’s hard for fans to sometimes remember why fights are worth watching. Sometimes there are robberies, the best fights don’t get made, or a fighter doesn’t get signed or leaves the company.

And then there are fights like this to remind them why they watch: to see the best fighters in the world do what they do best and struggle against each other as they try to become legendary.

Rua and Henderson are both spectacular fighters who will most likely each end up with Hall of Fame careers and plenty of memorable fights, but this one stands out from the rest.

It is a fight fans can watch over and over again. It is something that might be shown on ESPN Classic 20 years from now.

Simply put, it was one of the best fights ever from two of the best fighters in the world.

And we were lucky enough to get to see it.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 139 Results: 3 Reasons There Shouldn’t Be a Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rematch

Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua gave us one of the greatest fights in MMA history at UFC 139. There was much back and forth action throughout the fight, but Henderson nearly won the fight in each of the first three rounds. Rua prove…

Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua gave us one of the greatest fights in MMA history at UFC 139.

There was much back and forth action throughout the fight, but Henderson nearly won the fight in each of the first three rounds.

Rua proved to have the better conditioning in the later rounds but was not able to put Henderson out.

Despite it being an absolute war and a joy to watch, there should not be a rematch.

Continue reading to find out why.

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